Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of electronic temperature control, and more particularly, to a temperature measurement integrated circuit with a flexible cable and a sensing element.
Aerospace engine controllers may sometimes be mounted on engine structures of the aircraft. Because of the proximity to engine components, heat management in the electronic controller may be important. Consequently, particular electronic components may experience a wide range of temperatures, some of which may be outside of the range of allowable operating temperatures for that component. Typically, one or more electrical components within an electronic controller are identified as the limiting devices in terms of guaranteed performance for the operating temperature environment. For example, a processor in the engine controller may only be operative within a particular temperature range (e.g., −55° C. to 125° C.) and the processor dissipates relatively high power such that it is the hottest component within the electronic controller. In an aerospace engine electronic controller, it is advantageous to be able to maximize reliable controller performance over the temperature environment by monitoring the limiting electronic component(s).
Typical temperature sensing ICs are designed to monitor the temperature at the location that the IC is soldered to the PCB, without being in contact directly with the critical temperature limiting component. For example, without direct bonding of a sensing element to the electronic component, the sensing element may provide slow reaction time or incorrect correlation to temperature change of the critical component because it relies on detection based on a weak thermal connection between the temperature sensing IC and the critical component that needs to be monitored. Since the temperature sensing ICs do not directly measure the temperature of a critical electronic device or component, the temperature reading of the temperature sensitive component in existing systems may be inaccurate. Moreover, when sensors are not configured to directly measure the temperature of the mission-critical component, the controller may operate at a temperatures that could cause system failure and the temperature sensing and monitoring circuit may not register the temperature because of a self-heating effect between the sensor and the component, ambient air temperature, and other factors that affect the sensing element due to its proximity to the component being monitored.